Parthiv Patel: The evergreen youngster

"I'm still young," Parthiv Patel, stretching his arms together on a chair, said with a cheeky grin.

There are things about players that elevates them to becoming sportstars. Primary among them is their ability to relate to the commoners.

Somewhere, deep down inside, sports lovers find their identities in these players, who may not be the best, but surely become their favourite. And a lot of time, this favouritism has nothing to do with the skill of playing the game, but purely because they find the personalities and traits attractive. Bhuvneshwar Kumar's simple looks or Chris Gayle's eccentric avatar. MS Dhoni's uber cool wit or Marlon Samuels' say-as-you-feel attitude. Virat Kohli's aggressive body language or Kane Williamson's soft-boy image. Cheteshwar Pujara's determined dodginess or David Warner's care-if-you-like approach at the crease.

In Parthiv Patel, there is a tiny 5 feet 3 inch frame with a baby face and a fighters' spirit. It's not as much about his cricket as is his ability to laugh at himself that makes him so relateable. It has been 15 years since he made his Test debut, but the jokes on him having baby looks haven't seized to exist, since they first came into existence when he was a 16-year-old. 'Chota packet, bada dhamaka' still remains a relevant headline in Hindi newspapers to describe him.

He laughs at those 'shorty' and 'baby' jokes, and at times, cracks them even before someone else can remind him of it. And like today, he uses it as a perfect PR line to promote himself. When asked if he still harbours hope of finding a regular spot in the Indian side, he replies saying, "Absolutely! Even though I have played 15 years of cricket, I'm still young," before breaking into a knowing laughter.

It's been an entertaining ride for Parthiv. He broke into the scene at a time when wicketkeepers were getting shuffled in and out of the Indian team. Rahul Dravid had been identified as the frontline wicketkeeper for limited-overs. In the Test side, within the first one and half years, he was made to travel on three tough tours - England, Australia and Pakistan. Keeping up to Anil Kumble was never going to be an easy task, and a series of mess behind the wicket eventually led to his sacking, and Dinesh Karthik swiftly replaced him.

Nonetheless, he was not even 18 then, and would've believed there was ample time to make a comeback. But once MS Dhoni entered the scene, doors shut hard, jammed and locked.

While Karthik hadn't done much bad with the gloves, he continued to remain the second-choice keeper to Dhoni. Time and again, including the 2007 World Cup and T20 WC, he even played purely as a batsman. The only memory of Parthiv that remained etched were his series of missed chances in Sydney.

"It was the most difficult phase of my career," Parthiv said about the period when he went down the ranks. "When I was dropped after three years of international cricket, I thought I wouldn't get runs. Those couple of years were extremely difficult."

But in 2007, things took a massive turn. He slammed five consecutive tons in first-class cricket, a feat matched only six other cricketers in the world earlier - Don Bradman, CB Fry, Mike Procter, Brian Lara, Everton Weekes and Michael Hussey. It was no mean effort to be in that league, the only Indian in the club of legends. He proudly flaunts it today: "That is something I'm very proud of. I scored 1700 runs that season. After that, I have always averaged over 50 in every season. Those are good memories"

He did make a brief comeback a couple of times to the Indian side, but only to be left out again. And away from the public eye, he raced past his 20s, scoring tons of runs in the domestic circuit. The only time he would be seen on national television was in the Indian Premier League, where he represented six sides in ten seasons. However, it was domestic cricket where he had established himself as one of the biggest names.

Among his bigger achievements were his ability to forge a strong Gujarat team and lead them to three successive domestic championships in three years - Syed Mushtaq Ali 2015, Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2016 and Ranji Trophy in 2017 - all three being Gujarat's first national titles in the respective formats.

While Dhoni retired and his place was quickly sealed by Wriddhiman Saha on the back of some excellent glovework, Parthiv ensured that he became a strong second choice. He did make a comeback again, against England last year, where he continued to be below-par with his keeping, but scored a couple of aggressive fifties in three matches. He did have to make way for Saha when the Bengal player was fit again, but it remains a special memory for him. "After grinding for eight years, to be playing Test cricket again is something very special."

And just as the journey moved on, quietly touched the 10,000-run mark in first-class cricket - only the 48th Indian to do so. It wasn't a dream he had. There were several of them - playing for India, winning the world cup, etc., but nothing for this landmark. It has come as a surprise, probably a reward for all that he has done and all that deserving he didn't get.

"I knew about it (the 10,000-run mark) before the start of the game. It has been a joyful ride, it doesn't come overnight. It has been 15 years of hard work after which I have reached the landmark. I hope there is a lot more left in me. I'm hoping..."

Maybe in another era, he would have had a better chance to achieve all that he wished. Or as he says, there is still a lot left in him to achieve all that in this lifetime itself. "Fitness wise and skill wise, I think I'm on top of my game. I'm still young."